Fibroids - Do not ignore this seemingly harmless disease!

Uterine fibroids are common diseases in women of reproductive age . Depending on the location and size of the tumor, the disease manifests itself with different symptoms.

If the fibroids are small and do not cause menstrual disturbances or prevent pregnancy, you only need to monitor and not need treatment. Conversely, if the uterine fibroids are large, causing menorrhagia, menstrual cramps or infertility, or miscarriage, then you should be treated. Depending on the type of tumor and the health situation of a woman, there are many different treatment methods, the choice of treatment depends on the patient's choice and consultation with an obstetrician.

Uterine fibroids is what disease?

Fibroids, or smooth muscle tumors, are common benign tumors that usually occur on or in the wall of the uterine muscle. Formed when a smooth muscle cell divides many times and develops into a solid, elastic mass that separates from the rest of the uterine wall. They can grow into one or more cubes with sizes ranging from 1mm to 20mm.

There are four categories as follows:

1. Subarral fibroids: developing from the uterus and outward

2. Intramural fibroids: This type of tumor develops from the uterine wall and can cause the uterus to enlarge

3. Submucosal fibroids: This is a type of tumor that develops in the endometrium and can affect your menstrual cycle, leading to infertility and miscarriage.

4. Fibroids with stalks: this type of tumor separates from the uterus but is still attached by a small stalk.

Small lumps will not cause symptoms, but large lumps can cause blood loss and make more bleeding during menstrual periods. A large tumor puts pressure on the bladder and makes the abdomen appear to be large, as if pregnant.

What causes uterine fibroids?

Doctors have yet to find out the exact cause of the disease. Doctors never find fibroids in women before childbearing age and the disease is more common in pregnant women. After menopause, there are very few cases of women with fibroids.

However, several factors can work together to cause the disease:

Genetic changes: many fibroids carry genetic changes that are different from normal uterine muscle cells. There is evidence that fibroids tend to occur in families and that identical twins are more likely to have fibroids together than non-identical twins.

Estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that stimulate the growth of the endometrium during each menstrual cycle in preparation for pregnancy, appear to contribute to the development of fibroids. Fibroids have more estrogen and progesterone receptors than normal uterine muscle cells and tend to shrink after menopause due to hormone depletion.

Other growth factors. Factors that help the body maintain the homeostasis, such as insulin-like growth factors, can affect fibroid growth.

What are the signs and symptoms of fibroids?

About 30 to 50% of cases with fibroids do not cause any obvious symptoms. If present, symptoms are usually related to the size and location of the fibroids. Common symptoms of fibroids are:

Menstrual periods (long periods) and menstrual bleeding (heavy bleeding)

Pain or tightness in the pelvic area

Pain during intercourse

Frequent urination due to the pressure of the fibroids on the bladder

Constipation or flatulence

Big belly.

Having fibroids during pregnancy can cause a number of complications during pregnancy.

Tumors will soon remove the placenta, making the fetus lack of blood supply. Tumors will shift the position of the fetus, making it difficult for the mother to give birth naturally, thanks to a cesarean section . Most pregnancy fibroids still have normal fetal development. However, tumors will grow more rapidly during pregnancy.

You may experience other symptoms not mentioned. If you have any questions about symptoms, consult your doctor.

When do you need to see a doctor?

Although fibroids are benign tumors, it can cause discomfort in everyday life and in bad cases can cause bleeding. See your doctor if you:

Pelvic pain is not relieved

Menorrhagia or menstruation

Bleeding or bleeding outside your period

Pain during sex

The uterus and abdomen grow

Urinary difficulty.

If you have any of the above signs or symptoms or have any questions, please consult your doctor. Each person is different. So, consult your doctor to choose the most appropriate method.

Who often get fibroids?

About 60% of women over 50 years old are infected. Fibroids are most common in women between the ages of 40 and 50. You can limit your chances of getting the disease by minimizing risk factors. Consult your doctor for more information.

What factors increase the risk of disease?

There are many factors that increase the risk of uterine fibroids, such as:

You are of reproductive age

Your estrogen levels are abnormal due to illness or drug use

Family history of uterine fibroids

Black women are more likely to have fibroids, which appear younger, have more fibroids or larger tumors.

Early periods

A diet rich in red meat and low in green vegetables, fruits and milk

Drink beer.

What medical techniques are used to diagnose fibroids?

The doctor will examine the pelvic area. If you have symptoms of fibroids, your doctor may prescribe the following tests:

Ultrasound: if diagnosis is required, an ultrasound can be ordered by the doctor. This method uses sound waves to record the uterus to confirm diagnosis and locate and measure fibroids. The doctor or technician moves the ultrasound probe over the abdomen (reclines the abdomen) or places it in the vagina (reclining) to take an image of the uterus.

Blood test: if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, your doctor may order tests to examine possible causes. These include a blood count (CBC) to see if you are anemic due to chronic blood loss and other blood tests to rule out a blood clotting disorder or thyroid disease.

If a conventional ultrasound cannot provide enough information, the doctor may recommend other means of imaging, such as:

Magnetic resonance (MRI): This method can show the size and location of the fibroids, recognize different types of tumors, and choose the appropriate treatment.

An ultrasound of the uterus, also known as brine pump ultrasound, uses sterile saline to widen the uterine cavity, making it easier to record the uterus and endometrium. This test can be helpful in case you have severe menorrhagia but have normal results on traditional ultrasound.

Hysteroscopy: uses a contrast medium to float the uterus and fallopian tubes on an X-ray film. Your doctor may not do this procedure if you are concerned about infertility. In addition to detecting fibroids, it also helps your doctor to see if your tubes are clogged.

Hysteroscopy: With this technique, your doctor inserts a small tube with a light through the cervix and into the uterus. Your doctor will then inject the saline to widen the uterus, allowing you to see the uterine wall and the opening of the fallopian tube.

What methods are used to treat fibroids?

Most fibroids do not need treatment, only need to have regular check-ups to make sure that the fibroids are not growing too large or causing other problems.

Medications that may be used are anti-hormonal drugs. If symptoms persist, surgery to remove the uterus or remove the fibroids may be an option if the patient still wants to have a baby.

Another new approach is to embolize the uterine artery to cut off the blood supply that feeds the fibroids.

In addition, your doctor may use muscle lysis (using an electric current to destroy the fibroids and atrophy the blood vessels that feed the fibroids); and mechanical dissolution by freezing (using liquid nitrogen instead of electric current).

The doctor will have surgery to remove the fibroids. However, thanks to advances in science, some treatments don't need to enter your body. One popular treatment is MRgFUS (ultrasound removal of fibroids). This treatment uses ultrasound to destroy fibroids without causing damage to other tissues.

Which living habits help you to reduce the progression of the disease?

You should be able to manage the disease if you take the following measures:

Maintain weight with proper exercise and diet

Annual health checks so that doctors can monitor the progress of the tumor and intervene when the tumor is too large

Take medication as prescribed by your doctor

Tell your doctor about your concerns and describe your symptoms.

Women women are often worried about being diagnosed with fibroids. However, fortunately, many cases of uterine fibroids only need periodic monitoring, no surgical intervention is needed. You should have regular checkups along with reproductive health checks to detect the disease early and plan for timely follow-up and treatment.

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